Authentic Goan Chicken Vindaloo – Authentic Recipe of the World Famous fiery Goan Chicken Vindaloo recipe cooked with Chillies, Tamarind, Vinegar & Jaggery.Both Instant Pot & Stove top methods included.
I don’t want to blow my own trumpet but I fear that’s exactly how I am going to come across here though that’s only cause this Goan Chicken Vindaloo recipe is that good.
The issue I have with most recipes online is that they are not real.Some are just glorified versions of a normal chicken curry and if I am putting in so much effort to create something different I want an authentic recipe and this is exactly that.This is The Goan Chicken Vindaloo recipe you were searching for!
To start with let me first answer the question on what is Vindaloo and how is it different from other Indian Curries.
What is Vindaloo
There are lots of fables surrounding Goan Chicken Vindaloo.This curry is has emerged from melting pot of poturgese,Goan and British influences. In fact,the name “Vindaloo” is actually a garbled version of the Portuguese dish called carne de vinha d’alhos which translates to “meat in garlic wine marinade”.
In around 1800’s,this dish was Indianised by using palm vinegar instead of wine and was traditionally made with pork or beef.The further evolution of this dish happened when British ruled India- in that version the meat was marinated overnight with vinegar, ginger,garlic and spices and then cooked the next day.
When made right a vindaloo curry should be red-maroonish in color,slightly sweet,have layers of heat from- red dry chillies, green chillies and black pepper and the most important have two distinct sour notes coming from the vinegar and the tamarind.
Authentic Goan Chicken Vindaloo
How to make Goan Chicken Vindaloo
- Prepare the Marinade
Heat the 1 tsp oil in a pan.Add the ginger and garlic. Saute till they start softening and browning just a little.
To that add the black pepper, mustard seeds,cumin,coriander seeds,fenugreek seeds,cloves,cinnamon stick and Kashmiri Chillies and roast on low flame. - Marinade the Chicken
Once cool, transfer to a blender along with vinegar, salt,turmeric and jaggery.Blend to a dry masalas.Add soaked Tamarind along with the water and blend again into a smooth paste.
Marinade the chicken with this paste for at-least 15 minutes to 24 hours.Best to do this for 12 hours. - Make the Gravy
Heat the 1 tbsp oil in a pan.Add the green chillies and onions.
Cook till they are golden brown.
Add the Chopped tomatoes, cook till they soften.Add the tomato puree and cook the gravy for another 2-3 minutes. - Add Chicken and Cook
Place the chicken along with all the marinade in next.Mix and Roast for 10 minutes(if the masala is burning, add a splash of water)
Add 1 cup of water and cook on medium flame, covered for 25-30 minutes till the chicken is falling off the bone.
Cooking Chicken Vindaloo in Instant Pot
You can potentially shave off 15 minutes making the vindaloo in an instant pot.
Carry on with the first three steps using the SAUTE function and then follow up with pressure cooking in the last step.
What to serve Chicken Vindaloo with
Goan Chicken Vindaloo pairs the best with plain white rice or Ghee Rice
The plain rice really lets the palate experience the full flavours of a Vindaloo but in a pinch I also like it with crisp Parathas.
Variations of Goan Chicken Vindaloo
Originally the vindaloo is made with pork but chicken is easier to cook with and also easier to find, atleast in India.
This recipe would also work with mutton.To get the right texture and avoid labouring on the stove for too long- pressure cook the mutton before adding to this gravy.
A vegetarian version of Vindaloo will be a curry made with par boiled potatoes or brinjal or even paneer.While making a vegetarian version of this dish-do keep in mind the cooking times.
Almost all vegetables only need to be cooked for less than a couple minutes unlike a protein like chicken.
How to buy Chicken for Curries here
The age of going to a gory butcher shop is long past really.I prefer getting my chicken online.
The fact that I can request any cut I want, at a time I want and without lifting a finger(figuratively obviously!) has sold me on buying my nonveg produce online- Freshtohome ,Liscious and Bigbasket are my all-time favourites, in that order. I usually order for the week-divide and freeze whatever I don’t need immediately and use as and when.
To cook chicken curries , I use chicken with the bone and skin.It adds a lot more flavour to the curry and cause my family prefers it this way.That said,If you are on a diet, watching your fat intake(a myth that’s been debunked!) then you can ask for a skinless chicken.
Use medium sized pieces for any curry.It’s debatable whether chicken should be washed or not and I will leave that upto you.
Here are some other indian Chicken Curries
Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast,
Easy Creamy Methi Chicken
Tamil Style Pepper Chicken
Chicken Keema
Mughlai Chicken Korma
I also have some really good prawn recipes- Do try the Mangalorean Prawn Curry & Kerala Prawn Curry.
Ingredients
- 500 gms Chicken on the bone-Curry Cut
- 2 Large Onions- Chopped about 2 cups
- 1 Large Tomato-Chopped about 1 cup
- 1/4 Cup Tomato Puree optional
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 2 Green Chillies-Chopped
- 1 tbsp dry tamarind washed and soaked in 1/4 cup hot water.
- Coriander to garnish
- Salt as per taste
Marinde
- 1 tsp Oil
- 8 Garlic Cloves
- 1/2 inch Ginger
- 5 Kashmiri Chillies
- 1/2 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tbsp Mustard Seeds Rai
- 1 tsp Cumin Jeera
- 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds Dhaniya
- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds Methi
- 3 Cloves lavang
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 4 tbsp Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Jaggery
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
Making the Vindaloo Masala Paste
- Heat the 1 tsp oil in a pan.Add the ginger and garlic. Saute till they start softening and browning just a little.
- To that add the black pepper, mustard seeds,cumin,coriander seeds,fenugreek seeds,cloves,cinnamon stick and Kashmiri Chillies and roast on low flame.
- In about 5 minutes, the coriander seeds will start to brown and the masalas will start to roast and smell.
- Turn off the heat.Let the masalas cool.
- Once cool, transfer to a blender along with vinegar, salt,turmeric and jaggery.Blend to a dry masalas.Add soaked Tamarind along with the water and blend again into a smooth paste.
- Marinade the chicken with this paste for at-least 15 minutes to 24 hours.Best to do this for 12 hours.
Stove Top Cooking
- Heat the 1 tbsp oil in a pan.Add the green chillies and onions.
- Cook till they are golden brown.
- Add the Chopped tomatoes, cook till they soften.Add the tomato puree and cook the gravy for another 2-3 minutes.
- Place the chicken along with all the marinade in next.Mix and Roast for 10 minutes(if the masala is burning, add a splash of water)
- Add 1 cup of water and cook on medium flame, covered for 25-30 minutes till the chicken is falling off the bone.
Instant Pot Cooking
- In the instant pot, select SAUTE mode.Once hot, Add oil.
- To this add the onions and cook till it turns golden- about 12-13 minutes.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are puply- around 4 minutes.
- Add the Chicken and all the marinade plus 3/4 cup of water.Cancel SAUTE.
- Select Pressure Cook/Manual setting at HIGH pressure and pressure cook for 15 minutes.Let the pressure release naturally.
- If the gravy is too watery for your taste, reduce it using the saute function.
Nutrition
About Indian Spices and Herbs
Spices
Indian food relies heavily on spices. While Spices are an important part of the recipe, you can skip them if you are new to Indian cuisine or just do not have them at hand.
Curry Powder
Coriander powder, Turmeric Powder ,Cumin and Chili Powder are 4 pillars of Indian cooking. Usually, store bought Curry Powder is a pre of these 4 spice powders. You can make Simple recipes like – Dal, Basic Chicken Curry, khichadi, with just curry powder.
Garam Masala & other Spice Mixes
Garam Masala is usually a mix of other spices like black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, Cumin etc. You could buy a ready made garam masala and use instead of making a mix for every recipe.
Whole Spices
In addition to the 3 pillars and Garam Masala, we also use whole spices in elaborate Indian recipes like Chicken Korma,Laal Maas and Chicken Biryani.These add an unmistakable aroma and flavor to these dishes.They are easily available online or on big retail stores. Buy small quanities of these and keep refrigerated if not using often.
Herbs
Main Indian herb which is used across almost all recipes is coriander or cilantro. It is used as a garnish on almost all Indian recipes. It adds a much-needed freshness to otherwise spice heavy stewed food. The other Herb that is used while cooking is Curry Leaves.
I tried this recipe and it came out delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. Will definitely try other recipes.
Thanks Wajeeha!
I am following your recipe it looks wonderful. I have a little feedback for you. Look over your recipe and instructions again. You have dropped out the tamarind water in the instructions. I can figure it out, but I have been cooking for many years. Thank you for sharing with the English speaking world! I will let you know what my English husband says!
Thankyou Michele for pointing that out!! I have corrected my error!!
Love this Tamil Nadu Style Pepper Chicken Curry
Hi! I am doing a research on Indian cuisine. There have been different recipes for chicken vindaloo , mainly without Tarmarind. I am unfamiliar with the Goan culture. Could you please tell me if this is how Goans cook it at their homes?